What are some tips for good photography?

Answer 1

Good photography requires more than just pointing an shooting.
A good photographer develops an eye for composition and shoots so the image is balanced. When shooting any photo, don't let the focusing circle distract you. Amatures will use that to point at the most important element and that creates a poor picture. Look at the frame as a whole and tilt up or down until it balances.
Previsualise the image you want to record. That image may be different than what you see of a subject.
A great photographer will learn how to control light and use that to achieve the desired image. In addition to using a white board to create some fill light, you can also use a black board to act as a "light sponge" and it removes side light.
Learn how setting the aperture affects the image. It not only changes light/dark, it changes the depth of field.
Learn how setting the shutter speed affects the image. It not only changes light/dark, it changes the amount of blurring occurs when something moves.

Good photography requires more than just tips; it requires education, planning and technique. Learn the effects that your camera controls with aperature and shutter speed. Learn how lighting affects an image and how to control it. Visualise the image that can be achieved from a scene and plan the shot to create that image. Recording an existing image is getting a snapshot. Knowing the controls, use them on purpose and apply them in a technique to achieve the image you desire.

Additional info -
OK, King of Hearts. Since your question stayed open for a week and most responders echoed that your best tip is to get education, I guess you are hoping to get a list of quick/easy tips to get better photos. These are not tips to good photography, they are tips to get better snapshots.

Use adequate light. A flash will help outdoor photos with full sun because it will fill in the shadows.
When shooting outdoors, position so the sun is behind you and either early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Use a tripod. The tripod will hold the camera steady and the shots will appear in better focus. Also, with the camera on a tripod you can stop and think about the image you see in the view finder. Before pressing the trigger, look at the image and ask yourself questions about the basics. IE, Is the composition balanced? Is the lighting OK? Have I chopped off an important part of the image like somebody's head or feet? Is there too much sky over a portrait subject's head?

With photos of people, you have too main concerns. Either you want a pleasing portrait, or a snapshot of a bud where the background is important. With portraits, zoom in to a head&shoulder format. The top of the head should be near the top of the frame, the bottom of the frame even with a shirt pocket. For photos of buds with a cool background, position so the buds frame the background and don't cover it up. Drop down if needed so the subject's head is near the top of background.
Most full body images of people should have the head near the top of the frame and feet at the bottom.

Look at the negatives that come back with your photos. Labs will sometimes do a poor job of printing and not spend the supplies to fix their mistakes. Shooters frequently blame themselves for the bad photos. If the negatives have plenty of contrast and are reasonably dense, there is no reason your prints should have a blueish cast or lack contrast.

Use a wideangle lens for landscapes. It will increase the depth of field and create a distortion that makes the foreground look bigger. Use an 80mm lens for head/shoulders portraits so the nose does not get distorted.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Hello. One important to photography is to develop and cultivate an eye for seeing things. It's the ability to see things that are mundane and not seen by most people. Learning how to hold your camera steady will help, as well as having good film speed for what you're photographing. Fuji's 400 speed film is a good all around film speed, and I've been using Fuji for years now. Aside from having your camera, you need some support such as a decent to better quality tripod. A tripod will help you set up your composition better, freeing you to look more anayltically. As you look through the viewfinder or TTL (i.e. through the lens, as on an SLR), remember you are framing your shot. You are leaving things in while keeping other things out. Should you want a tripod, try to find something over 50" high (i.e. 57" or more) with 3 way panning or better yet one with a ballhead... which is better making it simpler. Read photography books, see how the photographer did their shots, glean the tips, and then just go out and experiment. Don't be afraid to take a shot. Don't just shoot horizontally, but stretch yourself by shooting vertically. When shooting vertically, have the flash on the top always. Hope this helps. Go after it!

Answer 4

Sometimes being told to get the composition right, balance, etc. sounds a bit too abstract and difficult, but need not be! Get a good book on the history of photography and let yourself be the critic. Try to figure out why some photos works or not (for you, the critic, remember?). In b/w look for contrast and the range of "colour" that should go from pure white to deep black and several degrees of grey. In color photography, look for a painter´s guide to how colours work together. Then observe how the photographer distributed the shapes in the images and where are the empty spaces. All this educates your eyes and composition and balance become instinctive, be bold and try to make photos in the style of someone you like. Above all, enjoy and see if breaking some rules works or not!

Answer 5

Educate yourself on three main concerns. Composition, exposure, and depth of field. If you're doing portraits, the subject being photographed too.

If you get the first three right in a typical photo, you should have decent results. If you're doing portrait, make sure you model is relaxed and doesn't look like a statue or something.

If you remove any of the first three, you have a common snap shot. If you get all three right, you're on your way to a photograph.

Then you can work on other elements, like seeing things others may miss. Be aware of the background if you're doing something on location. You don't want to attempt a romantic type portrait with a cars zooming back and forth behind your models. Little things like that are what get noticed.

Answer 6

This is a directory of tips and tutorials on photography: http://www.net-art.it/photomonitor/enter.html

Answer 7

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Answer 8

the eye of the camera is similiar to the human eye. both are selective vision. but you do have to have a good eye to take a good picture. then when time to print on 8'' x10'' you can turn into any rotation you wish.

Answer 9

What wonderful answers! About the only thing I would add is to 'check the corners'. Good Luck.

Answer 10

Black and white photos are more indepth and seem to feel more intent. Photo things that you find interesting..... and never stop shooting.